I grew up in the far western suburbs of Chicago, in a (once) little town surrounded by trees. Behind our house was a small patch of forest. It was, at the same time, my playground, my summer home, and the source of many nightmares. Most magical to me, I discovered that when the leaves fell from the trees, I could suddenly see right through to the houses on the other side.

The motifs used in this shawl, some inspired by Shetland charts, were designed to imitate the reaching branches of birch trees, leaf-less in late autumn. Knit from the center back out, the Silver Birches Shawl features lace worked on every row. Instead of garter stitch, as traditionally done, the pattern is worked in stockinette to create an open and airy fabric.

This pattern was original distributed as part of a limited-edition kit for the 2008 Year of Lace. You can sign up for the 2010 Year of Lace at www.yearoflace.com.